"Doug Steakley is a terrific instructor with a passion and love of photography that is contagious. I appreciated his constructive and thoughtful critiques that were geared to my level of knowledge and equipment. His assignments were well thought out with an abundance of examples and explanations. I would recommend this class to any one from beginner to pro." -Carol Ann Horn, student in Photographing Motion

Have fun making fine art photography and enhancing your pictures creatively! That's the word from BetterPhoto instructor Deborah Sandidge, who shares tips and techniques in her Instructor Insights blog...

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?

At BetterPhoto, we have some great ways to get inspired! For example, check out our free Photo of the Day newsletter at the subscription page. In addition, view the past contest winners of our monthly contest.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN SNAPSHOT

Get word of your product or service out to a rapidly growing list of over 72915 serious photographers.Learn More...

This holiday season has been filled with excitement at BetterPhoto. First off, our ClassTracks program is returning for 2010 - a great opportunity to master photography over the course of one full year! Check out the ClassTrack details here... ...
Also, signups for our January online photo courses are well under way, and our schedule is shaping up to be our very best ever. Check out our 8-week class listings and 4-week school schedule. ... In addition, if you'd like to gain the mindset of the successful creative photographer as you grow in confidence, then Jim Miotke's Destroying Fear by Getting Clear weekend workshop is the perfect solution. Note the special December offer for this motivating workshop! ... In this issue of SnapShot, don't miss the terrific contributions of two top BetterPhoto instructors: Rob Sheppard (on exposing for snow) and Deborah Sandidge (on creating Photoshop art). ... That's it for now. Enjoy the holidays, and keep your camera close at hand to capture all of the special memories of family and friends!
Kerry Drager
Newsletter Editor
Where is Jim Miotke? Follow BetterPhoto's founder and president on Twitter: BetterPhotoJim
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Treat yourself to an easy gift-buying experience, while also giving your favorite photographer something really special! Get a BetterPhoto Gift Card - good for an online course, Deluxe or Pro website, etc.

Photo Q&A

1: Group Photo Shoot

I'm photographing an anniversary party. There will be a group of about 25 people inside a church on the pulpit steps. I have 2 580EX flashes with bounce diffusers. I also have a ST-E2. Should I use both flashes on a light stand, at 45 degree angles, with the difusers, or should I just use one of the 580EX's with a flash bracket and hotshoe?

- Pamela Barrett

ANSWER 1:

Hi Pam, I would use them both on stands and spread them out to get enough light on 25 people. Use enough DOF to get all the faces in focus. One light source stands a real chance of creating shadows on some of the faces but with 2 you can hit your subjects from an another angle. I love the STE2 - works great :) Good luck Pam and have a fun shoot.

I was wondering which is the best program for editing pictures,that includes cloning.

- Chastity a. Hoff

ANSWER 1:

Photoshop

- Elida Gutierrez

ANSWER 2:

Chastity: Best ... yeah, Photoshop CS4 but it's over $800. Frankly, I think you would be very, very happy with Photoshop Elements 7 at about $100. And sure, it has cloning and lots of other features. Cheers! Peter www.peterkburian.com

I take photographs of my young students and give a 5" x 7" print to the parents for free. When they ask for extra copies, I would like to charge them, to help pay for ink and paper. But I don't know what a reasonable fee is. Any suggestions for pricing portraits?

Thank you. That was a big help. Do you charge for taking the portraits or just printing?

- Susan McCloskey

ANSWER 3:

Elida's prices are right on, according to my prices as well. As far as charging for taking the portraits, I only charge a "sitting fee" if it is an actual session that the parents set up. If I am taking them for my own benefit and then selling them later as people want them - as it sounds like you are - then I wouldn't charge for taking them.

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